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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fine — high quality
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — to get on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — a weight
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. board — a committee
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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