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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kick — in football
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — a weight
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bound — tied together
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stock — shares
  22. bound — certain
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. key — the most important part

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