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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — to visit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. press — to push
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — in football
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — a weight

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