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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 116 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
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: file · calf · net · cue · row · game · stem · swing

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cue — for pool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — for catching
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — after costs
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cue — a signal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. file — a document
  22. row — a line
  23. cue — a hint
  24. calf — a young animal

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