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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: firm · ball · leaves · patient · land · cue · mine · chip

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cue — a hint
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a dance
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — to come down
  16. chip — for betting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — ground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. firm — steady

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