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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. spell — a short time
  7. charge — in control
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — for catching
  12. spell — magic
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. charge — electricity
  16. game — wild animals
  17. charge — a price
  18. calf — of the leg

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