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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: court · patient · press · chair · bound · row · wind · race

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. court — of law
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — for sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — the arms race
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — obliged
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chair — a leader

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