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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 · fall · patient · nail · toast · sharp · mine · shower

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a hint
  15. toast — bread
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — rain
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — belonging to me

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