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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kick — in football
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — to paddle
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fine — all right
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fine — high quality

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