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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. game — wild animals
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bowl — to roll

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