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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. rock — music
  13. net — in sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. last — final
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. arm — 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