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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a document
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rest — a break
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — farmland
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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