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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — humankind
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bank — for money
  21. chest — a box
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bank — of a river
  24. craft — boats

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