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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fine — all right
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fine — high quality
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pop — music
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. face — to confront
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — part of the head
  24. net — after costs

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