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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — a list
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chip — for betting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. net — after costs
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mate — a friend

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