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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — help
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — child
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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