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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. net — in sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pop — soda
  9. bass — low music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — for catching
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. clip — a video
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pop — music
  24. bear — 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