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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — a match
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — humankind
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. race — a contest
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pass — to succeed

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