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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rule — a law
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pit — in a race
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. rule — government
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. charge — in control
  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