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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — after costs
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. present — the time now
  8. hand — help
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — high quality
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fall — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. present — there
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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