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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 120 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: row · hide · rest · staff · race · last · patient · rule

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rule — a law
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. rule — government
  19. row — a line
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — finally
  23. race — humankind
  24. rest — what's left

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