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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. craft — boats
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lean — thin
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — after costs

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