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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: key · wax · kid · pit · chair · patient · bass · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — low music
  14. race — humankind
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. key — in music
  19. kid — child
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — the most important part
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a professorship

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