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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — in sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — to grow
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — of the leg
  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