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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 · snap · fall · patient · game · pound · staff · ball

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. staff — employees
  5. pound — a weight
  6. firm — steady
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to click
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fall — the season
  18. ball — a great time
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — a match
  24. firm — a company

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