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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — after costs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fall — the season
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — for catching
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — a video
  21. ground — a position
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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