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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.

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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: deal · clip · net · lean · wave · tear · pass · game

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — for catching
  6. game — wild animals
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — in sport
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tear — to rip
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. lean — thin
  23. pass — a permit
  24. game — a match

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