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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. tube — a container
  9. bat — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — before a funeral

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