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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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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: stick · rest · staff · chair · straw · land · key · patient

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. land — to come down
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a leader
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. land — ground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. key — in music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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