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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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Word bank
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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. net — for catching
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. present — the time now
  12. cell — a phone
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — a gift
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to click
  19. present — there
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — in geometry

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