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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.

Words on the sheet
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: net · kick · chip · firm · fan · trunk · field · cap

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. firm — steady
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. cap — of ice
  15. firm — a company
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. firm — decided
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cap — a lid
  24. kick — in football

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