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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: cabinet · net · cell · clip · dip · rash · ground · snap

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. net — after costs
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ground — a position
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — a video
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cell — in biology
  24. snap — to click

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