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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · rule · cold · plane · dip · patient · key · calf

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cold — not warm
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. dip — to sink
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rule — a law
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rule — government
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cold — the Cold War

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