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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: safe · last · patient · racket · game · spell · shower · row

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — a match
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — final
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. shower — to wash
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — to paddle
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — finally

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