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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — to tire
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bore — to drill
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. coach — a trainer

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