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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 120 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
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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: net · fall · squash · fan · pitcher · clip · sharp · present

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — clever
  8. present — there
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — a gift
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — a video
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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