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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: content · patient · hide · lie · current · fork · chair · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cue — a signal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. content — the amount
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. current — of water
  23. content — happy
  24. current — happening now

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