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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mug — a cup
  5. clip — to cut
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — a practice
  10. clip — for paper
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. drill — army training
  20. net — after costs
  21. drill — the tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. clip — a video

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