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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bank — for money
  7. mate — a partner
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — for money
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. clip — a video
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bank — of a river
  24. dip — a sauce

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