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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — for catching
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — after costs
  24. foot — a measure

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