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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: patient · wave · sharp · land · game · charge · mug · race

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. land — a country
  3. game — wild animals
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. charge — a price
  7. mug — to rob
  8. race — humankind
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. charge — electricity
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — in control
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — ground

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