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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: safe · chair · kid · key · march · jam · game · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. key — in music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — child
  5. march — the month
  6. key — the most important part
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chair — a leader
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. game — a match
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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