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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — a signal
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a trace
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — the cause

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