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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. net — after costs
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — happy
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — for catching
  20. content — the amount
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — in sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ruler — a monarch

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