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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 124 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. net — after costs
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — for catching
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. object — to protest
  14. cold — not warm
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cold — an illness

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