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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: straw · fine · patient · rash · saw · race · last · net

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. net — in sport
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fine — high quality
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — finally
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. last — final
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — a series
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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