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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. snap — to click
  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