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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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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: march · stick · racket · fine · patient · rash · face · race

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — part of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. face — to confront
  9. fine — high quality
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — hasty
  17. race — a contest
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — music
  24. race — the arms race

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