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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tear — to rip
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — help

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