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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: chest · patient · hide · game · mine · current · wind · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chest — a box
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a match
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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