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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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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: straw · pound · game · mate · mouse · racket · patient · arm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — a partner
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. game — wild animals
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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