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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 · toast · patient · wave · land · mark · ground · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. land — ground
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — a grade
  10. toast — bread
  11. mark — a trace
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — a break
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. race — a contest
  24. ground — a position

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