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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. root — of a word
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. root — the cause
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. club — a group
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. club — for golf
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  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