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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. land — a country
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — ground
  24. file — a line of people

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