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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — in sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a match
  8. foot — a measure
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — to crush
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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