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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cue — a hint
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rush — hurry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cue — a signal
  24. scale — size or range

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