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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 120 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: patient · coach · rule · straw · foot · stick · dip · cap

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rule — government
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cap — a hat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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