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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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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: sharp · wave · patient · object · lie · rest · race · kick

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. rest — a break
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lie — to recline
  7. race — a contest
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. object — an aim
  16. race — humankind
  17. kick — in football
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — exactly
  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