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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 116 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — all right
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — for digging

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