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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — humankind
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — a contest
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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