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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: game · tube · cold · safe · chair · swing · patient · stick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. tube — the underground
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — a container
  19. swing — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chair — a leader
  24. swing — in golf

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