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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cue — for pool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cue — a hint
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — child
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. cue — a signal
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. capital — a big letter

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