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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. net — for catching
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — for a bird
  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