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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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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: calf · net · hand · squash · pit · straw · sharp · court

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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. pit — a fruit stone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — for sport
  15. hand — help
  16. court — of a king
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. court — of law
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — in cards
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — the vegetable

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