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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. season — of the year
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. firm — decided
  9. root — of a plant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. file — a line of people
  15. root — the cause
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — in sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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