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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: kick · mug · rash · net · bulb · cue · saw · chip

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cue — a hint
  3. net — in sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — for catching
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kick — in football
  21. rash — hasty
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. saw — the tool

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