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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pit — a hole
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lie — to recline
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a face
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. net — for catching

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