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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 116 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
468
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: net · can · cold · present · bass · clip · fan · object

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — a tin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. net — for catching
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — to protest
  8. bass — low music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — in sport
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — a video
  17. object — an aim
  18. can — a tin
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — to be able to
  23. net — after costs
  24. present — there

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