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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — the season
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chair — a leader
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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