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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
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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: cue · face · patient · cap · hand · mug · clip · mate

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cue — a hint
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mug — to rob
  6. face — to confront
  7. cue — a signal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mug — a cup
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — a partner
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cap — of ice
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mate — a friend

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