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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mug — a face
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rule — a law
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pit — in a race
  22. swing — music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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