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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mate — to breed
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — clothes
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — clever
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — a friend
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mate — a partner
  17. suit — to fit
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — a video
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. clip — for paper
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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