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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — a video
  15. present — there
  16. season — of the year
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. present — the time now
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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