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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tube — a container
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mug — a face

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