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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cell — in biology
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — in music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. key — the most important part

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