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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fork — in a road
  6. clip — a video
  7. mate — a partner
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — shares
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — a position
  16. club — for dancing
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cue — for pool
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. club — for golf

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