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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. game — a match
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mug — to rob
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — after costs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a cup
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — a face

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