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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bore — to drill
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pop — music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pop — to visit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — for golf
  21. firm — decided
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — soda
  24. firm — a company

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