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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. court — of a king
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. court — for sport
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. clip — to cut
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitch — completely
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. court — of law

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