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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bore — to drill
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. arm — part of the body

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