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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — a subject
  4. fine — all right
  5. net — after costs
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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