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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. content — the amount
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lean — to bend
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. net — after costs
  24. wind — moving air

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