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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. court — of a king
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tear — to rip
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — of law

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