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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. object — a thing
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. object — an aim
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. hand — in cards

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