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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 · court · chip · net · wax · pass · last · staff

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — of law
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pass — a permit
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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