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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — to tease
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — child
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — all right
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — music
  21. row — a line
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — a container
  24. calf — a young animal

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