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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 120 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: row · ruler · shower · squash · pit · ground · race · patient

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ground — a position
  7. race — a contest
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. shower — rain
  12. race — the arms race
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — to paddle
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — a hole
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — in a race
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — a line
  24. ruler — for measuring

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