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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tear — to rip
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pound — a weight
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — low 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