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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · patient · chair · wake · rash · chip · mug · wind

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — a series

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