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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.

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: patient · fan · charge · cap · court · race · can · kid

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. cap — a hat
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. charge — electricity
  6. race — humankind
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. race — a contest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — a tin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — of ice
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of a king
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — to tease
  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