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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: ground · clip · pass · net · charge · arm · pitcher · calf

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — crushed
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — in control
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — a position
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — a price
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. charge — electricity

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