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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. clip — a video
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. season — of the year
  18. foot — a measure
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — a supporter

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