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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — a short time
  7. swing — in golf
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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