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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cell — in biology
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. toast — bread
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cell — a phone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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