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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chip — to eat
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — in sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — all right
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — in football
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a ring
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — a video
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a music group

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