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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — child
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bulb — for light
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. snap — to click
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — an agreement

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