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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cue — for pool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. swing — music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pass — a permit
  19. swing — to play on
  20. file — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bat — the animal

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