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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
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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 · spell · clip · fall · ball · craft · mouse · charge

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. charge — in control
  4. net — in sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spell — letters
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — a video
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — boats
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fall — the season
  21. clip — to cut
  22. craft — a skill
  23. net — for catching
  24. spell — magic

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