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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — a city
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. chest — a box
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — a thing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — the fish
  22. object — to protest
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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