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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: cold · kick · race · kid · patient · drill · safe · scale

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — in music
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cold — not warm
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. race — the arms race
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. race — a contest
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — an illness

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