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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  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