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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — in a race
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pound — a weight
  13. net — after costs
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. row — a line
  22. hand — help
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pit — a hole

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