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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. net — after costs
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chip — for betting
  10. key — in music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — with an edge

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