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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — the cause
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a word
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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