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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 116 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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. field — for sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — magic
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. field — a subject
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to click
  19. mug — to rob
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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