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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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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: wound · clip · snap · chip · safe · net · current · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pound — a weight
  4. net — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. chip — for betting
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — after costs
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — for paper
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. net — for catching
  24. clip — a video

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