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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: chair · bulb · board · game · patient · shower · roll · fall

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. shower — rain
  3. roll — a list
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — the season
  24. roll — on a roll

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