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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. squash — to crush
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — the sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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