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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: lash · ground · foot · scale · roll · pop · net · kick

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. roll — a list
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — in sport
  14. ground — a position
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ground — crushed
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. scale — size or range
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — after costs

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