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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — to breed
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bass — low music
  11. content — happy
  12. season — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bass — the fish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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