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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — wild animals
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a leader
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stock — shares
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — a sick person

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