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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: pit · bulb · rash · roll · chair · patient · jam · game

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — a cake
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rash — a series
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a match
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — in a race
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. roll — a list
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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