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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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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: board · cabinet · pass · toast · stick · patient · current · bat

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. toast — bread
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. current — of water
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. current — happening now
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. board — to get on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — electric
  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