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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pound — a weight
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — happy
  12. degree — an amount
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — help
  16. degree — temperature
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. kick — in football
  24. rock — music

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