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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 120 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: foot · clip · mate · fall · mug · object · season · net

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — to protest
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — the season
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — to breed
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a cup
  20. object — an aim
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — a measure

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