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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. ground — a position
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stand — to bear
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — for catching
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ground — the earth

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