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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. ground — the earth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — in football
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. foot — a measure
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — in cards
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hand — help
  23. court — of law
  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