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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · net · lie · rash · dip · current · bowl · field

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — happening now
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — to sink
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — to recline
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. field — for sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. clip — to cut
  24. current — of water

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