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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · rock · capital · mark · cue · chip · patient · clip

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — tied together
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — money
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. clip — a video
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. capital — a city
  20. bound — certain
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cue — a hint

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