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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. root — the cause
  6. clip — a video
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mate — to breed
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. scale — in music
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. root — of a word

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