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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: snap · hand · patient · club · content · cue · fine · leaves

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hand — help
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to click
  11. content — happy
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fine — all right
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. content — the amount
  20. fine — high quality
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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