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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — for catching
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — in football
  13. club — a group
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bark — to shout
  17. snap — to click
  18. capital — money
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — in sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. net — after costs

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