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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. snap — to click
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. calf — a young animal

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