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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 124 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — after costs
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — a weight
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. deal — to handle
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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