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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. object — a thing
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — to protest
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — army training
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — an aim
  23. hide — animal skin
  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