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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — a friend
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fine — all right

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