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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: rule · pitcher · arm · game · squash · fork · file · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — the sport
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. file — a document
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — a law
  24. fork — a garden tool

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