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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cue — for pool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — a hint
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. deal — to handle
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — final
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. scale — size or range
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. race — the arms race
  23. last — to go on
  24. foot — the bottom

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