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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 120 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: ball · patient · cue · spell · arm · stick · present · saw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — a hint
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — letters
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. present — a gift
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a great time
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cue — for pool

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