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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — temperature
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. kick — in football

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