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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. can — to be able to
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — in sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — for catching
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — to protest
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. clip — a video
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — a thing
  20. board — a committee
  21. hand — help
  22. board — to get on
  23. swing — music
  24. object — an aim

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