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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — all right
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — steady
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — decided
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fine — a penalty

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