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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — after costs
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cue — a hint

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