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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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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: clip · pitcher · file · net · rash · snap

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a line of people

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