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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. firm — a company
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — to paddle
  7. firm — steady
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. firm — decided
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — after costs
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. row — a line
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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