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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 116 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: file · bear · pop · clip · net · can · staff · straw

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. clip — a video
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pop — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pop — soda
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — a tin
  13. pop — to visit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — to cut
  22. net — in sport
  23. bear — the animal
  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