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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. perch — the fish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chip — to eat
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kick — in football
  20. cap — a hat
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bore — to drill

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