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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. net — after costs
  2. degree — from a university
  3. net — in sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. club — for golf
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. degree — an amount
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a dance
  12. club — for dancing
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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