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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — in football
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cold — an illness
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. present — there
  19. charge — electricity
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. present — the time now
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kick — with a leg

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