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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — in biology
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pass — a permit
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cell — a phone
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. sharp — clever
  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