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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: patient · current · race · rush · court · perch · snap · chip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. current — happening now
  3. rush — hurry
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of a king
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — for sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — of water
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chip — for betting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of law
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — for a bird

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