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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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468
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: cabinet · kick · net · mate · ground · rock · pound · bore

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. net — in sport
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rock — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — for catching
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — a position
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. pound — to hit hard

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