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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: pitcher · fall · club · patient · safe · race · stick · chair

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. club — for dancing
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. race — the arms race
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a leader
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. club — a group
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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