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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: bowl · clip · bass · roll · kid · net · arm · rush

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — hurry
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. kid — child
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. bass — low music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. net — in sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. roll — a list
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. net — for catching

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