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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. net — after costs
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — to cut
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — for catching
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — in sport
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. pop — music
  24. deal — a big deal

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