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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: net · pitcher · bowl · calf · foot · mouse · fall · mine

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. net — in sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitcher — a jug

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