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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.

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: clip · pit · straw · mine · object · hide · patient · court

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of a king
  3. clip — a video
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pit — in a race
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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