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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: rash · mate · patient · chip · charge · race · racket · pitcher

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rash — hasty
  3. charge — electricity
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — a series
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — a price
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — a contest
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chip — for betting

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