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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: deal · staff · lash · kid · bass · patient · court · chair

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. court — of a king
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kid — child
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chair — to sit on

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