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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lie — to recline
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — certain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — a video
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bound — tied together

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