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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · nail · wind · net · present · foot · calf · bat

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. present — there
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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