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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a hole
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. clip — a video
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — of the year
  21. mate — a partner
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. leaves — of a tree

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