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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — for catching
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. suit — to fit
  7. net — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. suit — in cards
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — to confront

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