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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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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: net · last · bowl · calf · capital · game · stick · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. capital — money
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bowl — a football final

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