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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — in sport
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — a contest
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lean — to bend
  24. patient — a sick person

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