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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. firm — steady
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. club — a group
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. club — for dancing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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