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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — a permit
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to spend time

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