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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. net — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — a trail

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