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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 120 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — after costs
  13. bore — to drill
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — a break
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. court — of law
  18. firm — steady
  19. net — in sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. firm — a company
  24. sharp — exactly

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