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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 124 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. deal — a big deal
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — to rip
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to click
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — for catching
  22. foot — a measure
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lean — thin

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