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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pop — music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — the cause
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. dip — to sink
  22. root — of a word
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — to sit on

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