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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — to come down
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. land — ground
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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