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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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