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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fine — all right
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — in football

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