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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — a match
  8. band — a music group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. present — a gift
  15. track — to keep track
  16. band — a ring
  17. pound — a weight
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. track — a song
  23. staff — employees
  24. present — there

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