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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — in cards
  8. face — to point toward
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — a practice
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. sharp — with an edge

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