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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cell — in biology
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a path
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. track — a song
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hand — help
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cell — a phone
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — high quality
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — to sink

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