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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. key — the most important part
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — in music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a line
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — to paddle
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. key — for a lock
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. calf — a young animal

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