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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. present — a gift
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. firm — a company
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. present — there
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cap — a hat
  18. present — the time now
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  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