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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. clip — a video
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — after costs
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — for golf
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. net — in sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ball — a dance
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. club — for dancing
  19. net — for catching
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fine — all right
  23. ball — a round shape
  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