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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rule — a law
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. net — in sport
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — for catching
  10. craft — boats
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rule — government
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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