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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — after costs
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — a container
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. roll — a list
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — for catching
  24. tube — in a tire

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