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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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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: stick · scale · clip · snap · pass · stand · mug · net

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. net — after costs
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — in sport
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mug — a cup
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — to bear
  21. net — for catching
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. scale — in music
  24. mug — a face

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