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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — in football
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a document
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — a position
  12. file — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — the earth
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — in sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fan — to cool the air

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