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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pit — in a race
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. content — happy
  24. hand — in cards

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