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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. net — after costs
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — a break
  16. pop — music
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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