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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. key — for a lock
  4. row — a line
  5. hand — in cards
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — a match
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. key — in music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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