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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. drill — army training
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. game — a match
  20. bore — to tire
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rash — a series
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — clever

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