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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spring — of water
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pit — a hole
  23. club — a group
  24. straw — dry grass

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