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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a face
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. season — of the year
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. snap — to click
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. season — in sport
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — for catching
  24. object — a thing

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