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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. field — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — for catching
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. court — for sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — in sport

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