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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — what's left
  8. can — a tin
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tube — the underground
  11. track — a path
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a song
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — a video
  19. rest — a break
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. track — to keep track

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