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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: patient · club · stick · game · rock · straw · ball · mug

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ball — a great time
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mug — a cup
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. club — for golf
  15. rock — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — a group
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a face
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — a stone

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