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

Word bank: last · patient · rule · row · calf · cue · mine · cold

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — a hint
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rule — government
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — a law
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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