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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. net — for catching
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. club — for golf
  11. toast — bread
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — a box
  15. capital — money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. calf — of the leg

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