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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — an illness
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. march — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — in sport
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — help

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