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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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. track — to keep track
  3. net — for catching
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — certain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. deal — to handle
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — to crush
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a path
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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