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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. clip — a video
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a friend
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — for paper
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

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