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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 116 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 do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. net — for catching
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — of a river
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. saw — the tool
  9. object — to protest
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bank — for money
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. object — an aim
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. net — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. object — a thing
  20. game — a match
  21. net — after costs
  22. bank — for money
  23. game — wild animals
  24. plane — a tool

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