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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. net — in sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — to point toward
  5. plane — a tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — to crush
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. face — to confront
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — after costs
  18. squash — the sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — to rob
  24. face — part of the head

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