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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — to fit
  9. firm — a company
  10. suit — in cards
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — a country
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — steady
  18. suit — clothes
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — to come down
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. firm — decided

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