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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: row · patient · straw · mate · toast · net · club · chair

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. club — for golf
  5. toast — bread
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — a group
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — after costs
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — a partner
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a friend
  22. row — a line
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. club — for dancing

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