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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to click
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mate — a friend
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — after costs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — to turn a key

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