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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cell — in biology
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. object — an aim
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. object — a thing
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — to protest
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a document
  19. cell — a phone
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — with an edge

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