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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 120 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: chip · patient · race · cue · rest · saw · wind · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — a contest
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — a break
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — for betting
  24. patient — a sick person

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