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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a great time
  19. net — after costs
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ball — a dance

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