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

Word bank: bat · pop · calf · prune · present · last · net · deal

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — after costs
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. net — for catching
  6. present — there
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. last — finally
  17. present — the time now
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. pop — soda
  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