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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 124 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a document
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a line of people
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. row — a line
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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