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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. kick — in football
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — the season
  24. straw — a straw man

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