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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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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 · swing · stick · trunk · degree · pound · toast · charge

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. swing — to play on
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — from a university
  11. swing — music
  12. charge — a price
  13. toast — bread
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — in sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — an amount

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