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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 116 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: patient · kick · stand · straw · chip · court · stick · rash

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chip — for betting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. patient — a sick person

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