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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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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: rush · foot · current · chip · bear · court · board · patient

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. foot — a measure
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — for betting
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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