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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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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — crushed
  11. swing — to play on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rash — hasty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — in music

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