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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. kick — in football
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — after costs
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. track — a song
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — for catching
  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