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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — to confront
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kick — in football
  23. degree — temperature
  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