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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: patient · cold · scale · dip · safe · race · ruler · wake

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wake — a trail
  10. race — the arms race
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — not warm
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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