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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
468
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: stick · mine · net · clip · straw · game · press · mouse

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. net — for catching
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — a video
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — a straw man

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