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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: lie · stock · cue · net · cap · patient · last · mine

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stock — shares
  3. last — finally
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. last — final
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stock — goods
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — after costs
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — a hint
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — of ice

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