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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: land · net · pit · chest · wind · stand · calf · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chest — of your body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — a box
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — a country
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chest — of your body
  17. land — ground
  18. pit — in a race
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — to bear
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — a hole
  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