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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — a box
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — of your body
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ball — a great time

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