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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pit — in a race
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cue — for pool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — to sink
  17. face — to confront
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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