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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — there
  7. swing — in golf
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. present — a gift
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — in cards
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. season — in sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — help

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