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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. pound — a weight
  7. craft — a skill
  8. file — a document
  9. craft — boats
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cell — a phone
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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