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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. mug — a face
  9. net — for catching
  10. rule — a law
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. season — of the year

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