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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. net — in sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — to protest
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. key — the most important part
  14. capital — money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — a thing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a city
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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