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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fall — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a hint
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ground — the earth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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