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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: fan · net · content · saw · kick · wind · row · calf

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. row — a line
  24. kick — in football

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