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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kick — in football
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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