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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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 — for catching
  2. mug — a face
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — the cause
  9. net — in sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — to rob
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — for paper
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mug — a cup
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. root — of a word
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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