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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 120 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: ground · net · bear · pitcher · chest · chair · calf · mark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — a box
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. net — for catching
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ground — a position
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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