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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · lash · pass · chair · race · drill

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — a contest
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — a leader
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pass — a permit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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