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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — a young animal

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