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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. squash — to crush
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — the fish
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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