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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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. cell — a phone
  4. cue — a hint
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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