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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · pitcher · cell · straw · patient · saw · cue · suit

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cell — in biology
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cue — a signal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a lid
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — for pool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cell — in a prison
  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