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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — to cut
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — a video
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. suit — in cards
  21. game — a match
  22. cue — a signal
  23. suit — clothes
  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