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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mate — a friend
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — to cut

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