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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — a subject
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. field — for sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

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