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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. present — there
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — the time now
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. march — music

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