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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. clip — a video
  12. fall — the season
  13. shower — rain
  14. clip — to cut
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — for paper
  21. suit — in cards
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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