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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: present · race · chair · ball · swing · patient

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. swing — music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. swing — in golf
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — there
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a leader
  14. swing — to play on
  15. present — a gift
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — the time now

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