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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
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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: patient · pit · chair · current · straw · bass · charge · cold

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pit — in a race
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. charge — electricity
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. charge — a price
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chair — a leader
  24. charge — in control

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