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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
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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 · ball · season · net · jam · present · hand · spell

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — to cut
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. present — the time now
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. net — after costs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — a gift
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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