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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.

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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: coach · net · clip · calf · bulb · firm · game · bound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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 — after costs
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bound — tied together
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — a company
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. clip — a video
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — for paper
  22. firm — steady
  23. game — wild animals
  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