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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — from a university
  5. file — a line of people
  6. degree — temperature
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. plane — a tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — an amount

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