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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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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fine — all right
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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