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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. net — in sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. deal — to handle
  13. firm — decided
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — a position
  17. firm — a company
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. net — after costs
  21. firm — steady
  22. hand — help
  23. deal — an agreement
  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