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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — a committee
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rock — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. board — to get on
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — the earth
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. rock — a stone
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ground — a position

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