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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pit — a hole
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — a grade

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