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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: fan · foot · racket · net · clip · calf · sharp · object

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. sharp — clever
  10. net — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. object — a thing
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. object — an aim
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — for catching
  24. fan — to cool the air

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