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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: race · face · toast · kick · bound · current · patient · cell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — certain
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. face — to confront
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. bound — obliged
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. race — a contest
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — to point toward
  19. toast — bread
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — a phone
  23. race — humankind
  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