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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. swing — music
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ball — a great time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — in sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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