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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — size or range
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. scale — in music
  23. capital — a city
  24. chair — a leader

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