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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: clip · key · bark · rash · cabinet · sharp · land · net

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. sharp — with an edge

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