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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · game · mark · kid · patient · coach · file · cabinet

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kid — to tease
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — the fish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — ministers

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