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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. nail — for a hammer

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