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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pop — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — soda
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — of a tree

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