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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to click
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. tube — a container
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rest — a break
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a music group

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