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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bulb — for light

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