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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — to fit
  3. net — for catching
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a document
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rash — a series
  21. shower — rain
  22. deal — to handle
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. deal — an agreement

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