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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — soda
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. suit — in cards
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. suit — clothes
  10. row — a line
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. suit — to fit
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pop — to visit
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — to paddle
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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