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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. net — after costs
  7. ball — a dance
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. court — for sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — a division
  16. rock — music
  17. game — a match
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of law
  22. game — wild animals
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. calf — of the leg

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