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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rush — to hurry

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