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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 · pound · cue · object · stick · mate · nail · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cue — a signal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a hint
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — a thing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — a weight
  18. content — the amount
  19. object — to protest
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. object — an aim
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — to breed

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