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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spell — magic
  10. clip — to cut
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — a sick person

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