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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fine — all right
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — a break
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rest — what's left

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