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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a hint
  5. press — to push
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. race — the arms race
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. race — a contest
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cold — not warm
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — a video
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cue — for pool

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