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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — money
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. suit — clothes
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cue — a hint
  15. suit — in cards
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cold — an illness
  19. capital — a city
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cue — a signal

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