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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. clip — for paper
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — clever
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — after costs
  16. game — a match
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bank — of a river
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fan — to cool the air

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