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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to click
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. dip — a sauce

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