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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. deal — to handle
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. scale — size or range
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. deal — a big deal

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