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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. present — there
  13. hand — help
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. present — a gift
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. stand — for spectators

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