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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — after costs
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kid — to tease
  7. band — a music group
  8. toast — bread
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. suit — to fit
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. kid — child
  15. net — in sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a match
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. suit — in cards
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. suit — clothes

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