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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. net — after costs
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cue — a signal
  8. net — in sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rash — a series
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — for catching
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — a supporter

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