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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. last — final
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — for catching
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. board — a committee
  16. last — to go on
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. field — a subject
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — a weight

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