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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chest — of your body
  6. present — there
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chest — a box
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. present — the time now
  14. object — an aim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — a gift
  24. object — a thing

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