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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. suit — to fit
  21. charge — electricity
  22. snap — to click
  23. suit — in cards
  24. kid — to tease

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