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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. degree — from a university
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. suit — to fit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — the season
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spring — a coil
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. suit — in cards
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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