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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. toast — bread
  4. suit — in cards
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — a stone
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. suit — clothes
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. clip — a video
  17. fine — all right
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — rain
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — high quality
  23. suit — to fit
  24. calf — a young animal

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