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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. club — for dancing
  8. snap — to click
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. club — a group
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for golf
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — help
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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