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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. net — after costs
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a match
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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