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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — ground
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — a country
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bank — for money
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. land — to come down
  15. squash — the sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lie — an untruth

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