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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kid — to tease
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — goods
  6. suit — to fit
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stock — shares
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. toast — bread
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — child

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