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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — a contest
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — the arms race
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com