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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: drill · rock · calf · spell · mate · craft · net · cell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mate — a friend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — magic
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — army training
  12. rock — a stone
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — in sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cell — a phone
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in biology
  22. craft — boats
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a partner

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