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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — there
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. present — the time now
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. present — a gift
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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