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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: stick · file · pop · cold · land · ball · bass · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — soda
  4. cold — an illness
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pop — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — low music
  16. land — a country
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — ground
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — to visit

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