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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: pass · ruler · mine · present · stick · race · patient · kid

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kid — child
  4. present — a gift
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. race — the arms race
  8. present — there
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. race — humankind
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. race — a contest
  24. present — the time now

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