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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a great time
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — in sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a dance
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a document
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — of the leg

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