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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — to trim
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. firm — decided
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hand — help
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pit — a hole
  17. firm — steady
  18. net — for catching
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — after costs
  22. firm — a company
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — in cards

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