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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.

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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: ball · safe · clip · net · club · pass · bass · press

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. clip — for paper
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. press — newspapers
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. clip — a video
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — low music
  20. net — in sport
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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