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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. clip — a video
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitcher — a jug

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