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

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. 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. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — of the year
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — to visit
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — to cut
  24. 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