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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · patient · ruler · track · stick · current · cabinet · court

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. court — for sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — a song
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — of water
  13. court — of a king
  14. current — electric
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — happening now
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a path
  23. court — of law
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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