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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · deal · net · sharp · kid · rash · snap · rock

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kid — child
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rock — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — after costs
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — to tease
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — to paddle

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