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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a face
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. clip — a video
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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