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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · mate · pop · cabinet · firm · present · patient · racket

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mate — a friend
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pop — to visit
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. present — there
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pop — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. firm — a company
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — decided
  21. pop — soda
  22. mate — to breed
  23. firm — steady
  24. racket — for tennis

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