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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · race · ball · pound · kick · wind

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. ball — a great time
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — after costs

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