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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.

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: mouse · fall · ruler · net · march · clip · mine · cap

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. march — music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — a video
  23. net — after costs
  24. march — the month

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