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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. club — for golf
  11. charge — in control
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — for dancing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — a group
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. charge — a price
  21. net — for catching
  22. key — in music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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