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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lean — to bend
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — in sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — to crush
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lean — thin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. squash — the sport
  23. net — in sport
  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