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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — a country
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. press — newspapers
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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