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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — for catching
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ground — a position
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. net — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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