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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: patient · coach · mate · pound · game · straw · snap · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pound — a weight
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — to breed
  14. snap — to click
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mate — a partner
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mate — a friend
  24. straw — dry grass

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