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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — bread
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — a face
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — a cup
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mug — to rob

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