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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — a group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — of the sea

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