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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. clip — for paper
  3. net — after costs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — a video
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bulb — for light
  9. root — of a word
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. clip — to cut
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. squash — the sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. root — of a plant
  17. capital — money
  18. squash — to crush
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — in sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a city
  24. deal — to handle

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