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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. bore — to drill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bowl — to roll

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