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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · ground · spell · cue · stand · clip

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ground — a position
  3. spell — magic
  4. net — for catching
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — after costs
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cue — a hint
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cue — a signal
  17. clip — a video
  18. stand — on your feet

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