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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 116 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: race · rest · patient · staff · ball · deal · mouse · saw

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rest — a break
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — employees
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. race — humankind
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a great time

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