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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ball — a dance
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — to push
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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