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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — to tease
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mate — a friend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of a king
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — child
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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