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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. roll — a list
  3. net — for catching
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. spell — magic
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — letters
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. roll — a cake
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to click

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