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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. scale — in music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cue — for pool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bound — certain
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — of ice

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