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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: rest · race · charge · pit · patient · chair · key · rash

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chair — a leader
  16. race — humankind
  17. rest — what's left
  18. race — the arms race
  19. key — in music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. charge — a price
  22. rest — a break
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. race — a contest

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