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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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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: chair · object · swing · hand · patient · race

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. swing — in golf
  7. race — a contest
  8. object — a thing
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — a leader

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