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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · patient · race · shower · present · mouse

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — humankind
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — a gift
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. present — the time now
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — there
  18. bay — a part of the sea

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