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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kick — in football
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cold — not warm
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — boats
  8. fall — to drop
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — the season
  12. charge — in control
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. craft — a skill
  15. snap — to click
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. charge — a price
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cold — an illness
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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