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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 · chip · row · club · race · rash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. chip — for betting
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — a series
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. row — to paddle
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. race — a contest
  18. row — a line

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