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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — the season
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — of water
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hand — help
  24. mug — to rob

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