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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — to fit
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — after costs
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hand — help
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. suit — clothes

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