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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — low music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. squash — the sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bass — the fish
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitch — a sports field

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