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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. chair — a leader
  15. roll — a list
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. shower — rain
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. roll — a cake

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