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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 116 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: content · staff · club · kid · board · patient · deal · mark

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kid — child
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — happy
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — a grade
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kid — to tease
  23. board — a committee
  24. patient — a sick person

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