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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chip — for betting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rock — music

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