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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 116 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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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: patient · press · lie · cold · rash · chip · cabinet · cue

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chip — to eat
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cue — for pool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — for betting
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — a series
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — an illness
  24. press — a publisher

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