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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: rest · pitcher · snap · foot · straw · hide · patient · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. roll — a cake
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to click
  13. rest — a break
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — a measure
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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