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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wind · fine · press · calf · track · court · nail · patient

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. press — a publisher
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of a king
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — on a finger

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