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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. plane — a tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a great time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. temple — a place of worship

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