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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — after costs
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cue — a signal
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — to be able to
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — employees
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — a video
  24. deal — an agreement

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