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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. present — there
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pit — in a race
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — in music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — the most important part
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pit — a hole
  17. key — for a lock
  18. scale — size or range
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — in music

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