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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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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: squash · clip · cue · mark · bound · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — for catching
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bound — obliged
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — in sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. clip — a video
  18. squash — the sport

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