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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. drill — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — a permit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. charge — in control
  11. drill — army training
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. charge — electricity
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — a practice
  21. charge — a price
  22. spring — the season
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — in an idiom

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