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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — to get on
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. patient — a sick person

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