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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 124 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a friend
  5. clip — to cut
  6. firm — a company
  7. mate — to breed
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. firm — steady
  13. ground — a position
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. clip — for paper
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. firm — decided
  24. mate — a partner

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