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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: present · mouse · jam · net · chest · calf · game · date

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. present — there
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — a match
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. date — the fruit
  22. net — in sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — a box

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