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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. net — for catching
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. key — in music
  9. spell — letters
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — to handle
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — in sport
  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