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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: dip · patient · stick · lean · chair · cue · club · vault

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lean — to bend
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chair — a leader
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chair — to sit on

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