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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. kid — child
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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