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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
468
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: bowl · pit · cabinet · patient · march · dip · sharp · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cue — for pool
  7. dip — to sink
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cue — a signal
  18. march — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pit — a hole
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — in a race

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