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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. present — a gift
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — in music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — for a lock
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — a video
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — for golf
  21. key — the most important part
  22. club — a group
  23. present — there
  24. straw — dry grass

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