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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. root — the cause
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. root — of a word
  9. toast — bread
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — for paper
  14. root — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. saw — the tool

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