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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mate — to breed
  10. root — of a word
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kick — in football
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — for catching

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