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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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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: mark · race · cabinet · land · scale · patient · mug · last

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — a country
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a trace
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mark — a grade
  18. race — humankind
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. mug — a cup

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