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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stand — to bear
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — in sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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