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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. root — of a word
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rush — hurry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kick — in football
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pound — a weight
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — for dogs

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