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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ball — a great time
  12. board — to get on
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — an amount
  21. board — a committee
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kick — with a leg

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