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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 · jam · leaves

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

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. race — a contest
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. race — the arms race
  12. net — after costs
  13. kick — in football
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. race — humankind
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. net — in sport

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