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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a great time
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lie — to recline
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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