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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. net — for catching
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kick — in football
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — to be able to
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — tied together
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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