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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. lash — a whip stroke
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. track — a song
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — of the year
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. swing — music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — in golf
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — a path
  24. board — a flat piece

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