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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · bat · fan · lie · ground · net · calf · rest

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — in sport
  14. ground — a position
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rest — a break
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ground — the earth

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