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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — a coil
  8. file — a document
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a signal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — in a race
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — a match
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spell — letters

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