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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: chair · row · fine · cue · staff · temple · firm · patient

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. staff — employees
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — high quality
  8. firm — decided
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — all right
  11. cue — a signal
  12. firm — steady
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cue — for pool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — a line
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. firm — a company
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chair — a leader
  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