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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: spell · ruler · snap · bat · clip · net · club · staff

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — letters
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spell — a short time
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — magic
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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