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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spring — of water
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fork — in a road
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. last — final
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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