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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. roll — a list
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — a stick
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — in sport

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