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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — happy
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. charge — electricity
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — a tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. charge — a price
  23. content — the amount
  24. charge — in control

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