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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mate — to breed
  5. net — for catching
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cell — a phone
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mate — a friend
  18. snap — to click
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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