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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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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: current · rule · degree · race · mine · bowl · rest · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rule — a law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. race — the arms race
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — of water
  24. rule — government

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