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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ground — a position
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mug — a face
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. game — a match

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