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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cell — a phone
  5. last — final
  6. cell — in biology
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ball — a great time
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — finally
  12. board — to get on
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. last — to go on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — a young animal
  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