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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: court · cell · cabinet · patient · mug · fork · stick · straw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — a face
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in biology
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fork — a garden tool

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