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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. object — an aim
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — to protest
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — for catching
  18. ground — a position
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. capital — a city
  23. object — a thing
  24. net — after costs

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