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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — a trail
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kick — in football
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cold — not warm
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — to be able to

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