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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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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: cue · patient · game · firm · straw · court · wind · jam

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. court — of law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. firm — decided
  6. cue — a signal
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. firm — steady
  12. game — a match
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. firm — a company
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. straw — dry grass

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