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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: patient · chip · cue · bowl · foot · march · cold · pass

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — to eat
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — not warm
  15. march — music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — for pool

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