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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — in a road
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. toast — bread
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. calf — a young animal

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