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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a song
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — for catching
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. track — a path
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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