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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: clip · safe · game · staff · snap · net · ground · can

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — a stick
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. net — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — to cut
  9. game — wild animals
  10. net — after costs
  11. snap — to click
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ground — crushed
  17. can — to be able to
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — a match
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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