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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cap — a lid
  6. swing — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bat — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. swing — to play on
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — in golf
  24. straw — dry grass

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