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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ground — the earth
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chip — to eat
  16. board — to get on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spring — of water
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. board — a committee

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