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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rash — a series

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