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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — a path
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. track — a song
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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