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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: lie · hand · object · bear · net · pop · clip · pit

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — a hole
  12. object — a thing
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. object — an aim
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — to protest
  24. pop — music

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