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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — in sport
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — after costs
  12. clip — a video
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. clip — for paper

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