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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. mate — a partner
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. current — happening now
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. current — of water
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cap — a hat
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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