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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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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: trunk · present · fine · net · mug · bass · shower · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mug — to rob
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mug — a face
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. present — the time now
  20. mug — a cup
  21. shower — rain
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kick — in football
  24. present — there

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