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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. race — a contest
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — in sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — humankind
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — letters
  13. rash — hasty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — the arms race
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a music group

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