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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. swing — music
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. swing — in golf
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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