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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — help
  24. net — after costs

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