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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — shares
  13. swing — music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mate — a friend
  24. calf — a young animal

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