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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. land — to come down
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. capital — money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of law
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. court — for sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. court — of a king
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. face — to confront
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — ground
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — a country
  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