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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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468
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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lie — to recline
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — of your body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — a song
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. chest — of your body
  21. track — to keep track
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — a box
  24. bowl — to roll

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