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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — for sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chip — to eat
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — for betting
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  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