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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — a match
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — wild animals
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. charge — a price

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