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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · patient · rash · season · track · wind · kick · current

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — a song
  4. current — of water
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rash — a series
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — a match
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — of the year
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — happening now
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kick — in football
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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