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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a line
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. row — to paddle
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mug — a cup

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