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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — a signal
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a hint
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cue — for pool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a song
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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