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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 116 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: mate · patient · firm · lash · court · straw · content · current

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. current — happening now
  3. content — the amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — happy
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mate — to breed
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. firm — decided
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. mate — a friend
  16. firm — steady
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. court — for sport

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