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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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. net — after costs
  3. object — a thing
  4. net — in sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mark — a trace
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cell — a phone
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. object — an aim
  19. land — a country
  20. object — to protest
  21. vault — a safe
  22. snap — to click
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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