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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. file — a document
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — to hurry

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