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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mark — a grade
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bat — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — ground
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. net — after costs
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — a country
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. firm — steady
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mark — a trace

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