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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: staff · dip · net · mouse · cabinet · wound · march · snap

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — to sink
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. staff — employees

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