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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: net · object · land · face · bay · cold · pound · rock

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cold — not warm
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — an illness
  7. face — to point toward
  8. land — ground
  9. net — in sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — to confront
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — a country
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rock — a stone
  18. object — to protest
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — music

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