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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. ground — a position
  2. land — ground
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — after costs
  5. land — to come down
  6. deal — to handle
  7. can — a tin
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — for catching
  12. kick — in football
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ground — crushed
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — in sport
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — a country
  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