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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mug — to rob
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cue — a signal
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bound — certain

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