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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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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 · track · snap · content · patient · cap · game · rash

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. track — a song
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — a lid

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