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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — the animal
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. club — for golf
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. patient — a sick person

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