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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chair — a leader
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — after costs
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. scale — in music
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. object — a thing
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ball — a dance
  22. object — an aim
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — to protest

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