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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: chair · file · race · bulb · last · deal · patient · mug

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — to go on
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — a contest
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — final
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. deal — a big deal

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