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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: suit · sharp · net · cell · kid · track · kick · stick

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — for catching
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — a path
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cell — in biology
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. track — to keep track
  20. suit — clothes
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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