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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. charge — a price
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — to rip
  12. suit — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. suit — clothes
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. suit — to fit
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — for digging

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