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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: mate · bat · clip · net · toast · can · wind · cap

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — of ice
  6. clip — a video
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — a lid
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. net — for catching
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — a hat
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — to breed
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mate — a partner
  24. toast — the most admired

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