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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — clever
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — a partner
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — to breed
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cue — for pool

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