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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. kid — child
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — after costs
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. clip — for paper
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. firm — a company
  14. net — in sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — for catching
  17. firm — decided
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kid — to tease
  24. suit — clothes

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