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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — after costs
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. net — for catching
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bank — of a river
  19. kid — child
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — a tool

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