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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. pass — a permit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. net — after costs
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a match
  19. craft — boats
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to succeed

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