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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cap — a lid
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mate — to breed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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