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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 · rest · straw · patient · club · mark · fan · dip

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. race — a contest
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. club — for golf
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. club — a group
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — a break
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — humankind
  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