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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — in music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — government
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — to rule out

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