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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 · track · cue · toast · press · ground · nail · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — crushed
  4. court — of law
  5. toast — bread
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — of a king
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. press — to push
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — for pool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — for sport

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