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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — of the year
  12. tube — a container
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. court — of law
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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