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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. club — for golf
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. club — a group
  14. net — in sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. clip — a video
  18. mouse — the animal

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