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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — for catching
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. clip — a video
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chest — a box
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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