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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 · kid · patient · racket · squash · wind · calf · chest

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chest — a box
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — child
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — a contest
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wind — moving air

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