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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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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: bat · cue · chip · patient · can · lie · season · clip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. clip — a video
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. chip — for betting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  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