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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: clip · firm · net · nail · present · prune · file · bat

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — a company
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a document
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — a video
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. file — a tool
  17. present — there
  18. firm — steady
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — decided

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