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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — a video
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. plane — a tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mark — a trace
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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