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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. net — in sport
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — 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