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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — child
  5. net — for catching
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. swing — in golf
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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