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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — a box
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — there
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. present — a gift
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — music
  22. present — the time now
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — a straw man

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