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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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. deal — to handle
  3. drill — army training
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — for catching
  9. drill — the tool
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. file — a tool
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bore — to tire
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a document
  18. bore — to drill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. net — in sport

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