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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · cell · cue · date · pit · patient · current · spring

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. current — electric
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — for pool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. current — happening now
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — of water
  18. pit — a hole
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — of water
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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