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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — final
  8. net — for catching
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — low music
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — after costs
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. net — in sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cap — a lid
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. cue — a hint

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