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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mug — a cup
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. key — the most important part
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. net — for catching
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mug — a face
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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