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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.

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: net · bass · key · clip · squash · calf · mug · file

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — after costs
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. key — in music
  14. net — in sport
  15. file — a document
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — a video
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a line of people
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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