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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · game · row · rest · hide · race · fan · patient

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. race — a contest
  11. game — a match
  12. row — a line
  13. race — humankind
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — money
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — a sick person

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