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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — a practice
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — a thing
  11. rush — hurry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — army training
  15. ball — a dance
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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