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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.

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: fan · calf · safe · rock · deal · capital · net · arm

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. capital — money
  11. net — in sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rock — music

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