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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. clip — for paper
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. clip — a video
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fine — all right
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — to cut
  16. club — a group
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — for catching
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mine — belonging to me

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