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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. club — a group
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. object — an aim
  6. net — for catching
  7. wake — a trail
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — child
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. object — to protest
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. club — for golf
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — for dancing
  21. net — after costs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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