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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · net · squash · straw · arm · pitcher · patient · bay

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — for catching
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — to crush
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. net — in sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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