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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: pit · spring · ruler · dip · board · cell · chair · patient

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pit — in a race
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — to get on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. board — a committee
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — to sink
  20. spring — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — of water

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