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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — in sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — for catching
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — a match
  14. court — of law
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in biology
  18. court — for sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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