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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: present · net · chest · spell · perch · march · calf · racket

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. spell — letters
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — the time now
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — a gift
  9. march — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — magic
  20. present — there
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — the fish
  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