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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for golf
  4. bore — to tire
  5. club — for dancing
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — to cut
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. club — a group
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. spell — magic
  22. bank — of a river
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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