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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mug — a face
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a document
  7. cell — a phone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — of ice
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pop — soda
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. cell — in biology

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