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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — magic
  4. mug — a face
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — letters
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — ground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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