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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. toast — bread
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. calf — a young animal

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