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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — for pool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. patient — a sick person

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