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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kick — in football
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. tube — a container
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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