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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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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — a group
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. game — a match
  12. club — for dancing
  13. shower — to wash
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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