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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — hurry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — for catching
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. net — after costs
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to click
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rush — to hurry

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