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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cue — a hint
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. key — for a lock
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — for paper
  9. snap — to click
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cue — for pool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cue — a signal
  17. key — in music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — a video
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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