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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 116 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: mouse · clip · net · present · mug · pound · cabinet · snap

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — in sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. present — a gift
  7. mug — a face
  8. present — there
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mug — to rob
  13. clip — for paper
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — after costs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — the time now

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