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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: patient · key · firm · mouse · ball · wake · chair · stick

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. key — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. firm — steady
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — before a funeral

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