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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. net — after costs
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — to come down
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — for catching
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rock — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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