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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. present — the time now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cue — a signal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cue — for pool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. row — a line
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a hint
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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