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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — hurry
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rush — a thrill

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