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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a hat
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — for paper
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — exactly

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