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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cue — a hint
  3. club — for dancing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — for pool
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — to breed
  8. root — of a plant
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. net — after costs
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. club — for golf
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — in sport
  19. club — a group
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — the fruit
  24. root — of a word

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