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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. tube — a container
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — the underground
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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