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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rule — government
  11. pop — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pop — soda
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cue — a hint
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rule — a law
  23. stem — to come from
  24. patient — a sick person

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