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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: stick · cue · season · patient · chip · fine · bass · cell

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — all right
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cue — a signal
  19. season — of the year
  20. bass — low music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fine — a penalty

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