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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — a big letter

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