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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pit — a hole
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. deal — to handle
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spring — the season
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pit — in a race
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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