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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 116 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: cue · fall · current · cabinet · patient · degree · race · chair

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. race — humankind
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — the arms race
  6. current — happening now
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. current — electric
  9. race — a contest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — of water
  15. fall — the season
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — for pool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fall — to drop

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