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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. fine — all right
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — a short time
  10. roll — a list
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spell — magic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — for catching
  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