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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 120 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — a subject
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — completely

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