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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — soda
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — a short time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — final
  12. track — a path
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — magic
  15. hand — in cards
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hand — help

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