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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — help
  8. suit — in cards
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. suit — to fit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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