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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. firm — decided
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rush — hurry
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — a trail

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