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

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. clip — a video
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mug — a cup
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ball — a dance
  16. capital — a city
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — to breed

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