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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. track — a song
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mug — to rob
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mug — a cup
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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