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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — in football
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — in sport
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cell — a phone
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — for digging
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — the season
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. net — after costs
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fall — to drop

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