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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — all right
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. land — ground
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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