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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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Word bank
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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: lean · rush · land · net · rock · pound · chip · cold

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — ground
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — a country
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lean — to bend

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