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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. drill — army training
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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