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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a line
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. swing — music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. kick — in football
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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