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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rash — hasty
  5. shower — to wash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. face — to confront
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — wild animals
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. game — a match
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. face — part of the head

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