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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — in sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — certain
  23. mark — a trace
  24. staff — a stick

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