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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — clothes
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. suit — to fit
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. net — for catching
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — part of the body

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