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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pit — in a race
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kick — in football
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pit — a hole
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. capital — a city
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. snap — to click

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