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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — for pool
  20. file — a document
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cap — a lid
  24. game — wild animals

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