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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mate — to breed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — size or range
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — final
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — finally
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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