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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — hasty
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. dip — to sink
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  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