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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rule — government
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mate — a partner
  19. net — after costs
  20. snap — to click
  21. rule — a law
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — to hit hard

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