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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — after costs
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ball — a great time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. clip — a video
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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