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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. net — after costs
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — the fish
  6. net — for catching
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. net — in sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a document
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — wild animals
  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