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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — a series
  14. march — music
  15. cue — for pool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — hasty

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