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

Word bank: snap · fork · toast · court · kid · present · straw · patient

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. present — the time now
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. kid — child
  12. present — a gift
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to click
  22. court — for sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. patient — a sick person

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