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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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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: chest · current · fall · race · racket · cell · patient · coach

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. 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. chest — a box
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. current — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — the season
  8. cell — a phone
  9. race — the arms race
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — electric
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — a contest
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. race — humankind
  24. 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