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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 · bass · coach · cue · ground · fine · net

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a signal
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — a position
  10. fine — all right
  11. deal — to handle
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cue — for pool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cue — a hint
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — a penalty

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