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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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