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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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bass — low music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — the arms race
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tear — from crying
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — army training
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. race — a contest
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — a hole

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