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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — for catching
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — to shout
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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