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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rock — music
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kid — child
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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