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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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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: sharp · patient · shower · calf · rule · chest · nail · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — rain
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rule — government
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — a box
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — a law
  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