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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ground — crushed
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — a video
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. calf — of the leg

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