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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: band · net · roll · stick · kid · kick · fan · ground

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. net — for catching
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — in football
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. net — after costs
  9. roll — a list
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — child
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a ring
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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