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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pass — a permit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — a video

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