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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — a committee
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — for catching
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. firm — steady
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chest — a box
  23. firm — decided
  24. board — a flat piece

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