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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. snap — to click
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — a friend

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