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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.

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: net · saw · bear · drill · clip · mate · hand · fork

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — help
  20. drill — army training
  21. clip — to cut
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — the tool

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