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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: patient · ball · clip · can · pitcher · racket · perch · calf

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. can — to be able to
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — the fish
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. racket — for tennis

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