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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — a subject
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of law
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. land — a country
  24. court — for sport

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