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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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