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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 120 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: rule · bulb · patient · pitcher · cold · deal · rush · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — a law
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — an illness
  24. deal — a big deal

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