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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. calf — a young animal

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