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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — goods
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — a match
  23. rash — hasty
  24. straw — dry grass

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