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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kick — in football
  21. stand — to bear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. calf — of the leg

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