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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — a hint
  7. game — a match
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. root — the cause
  14. land — ground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — for pool
  17. land — a country
  18. swing — to play on
  19. drill — army training
  20. root — of a word
  21. swing — music
  22. root — of a plant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — a young animal

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