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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — magic
  10. cue — a hint
  11. object — to protest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. object — a thing
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. object — an aim
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spell — a short time
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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