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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: chair · deal · net · racket · staff · patient · sharp · cue

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — for catching
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — a signal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cue — for pool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. net — in sport
  24. chair — a leader

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