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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. club — a group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — help
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — to breed
  21. club — for dancing
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mate — a partner

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