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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — of a king
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left

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