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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. root — of a word
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mate — to breed
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — letters
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — a skill
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — for paper
  14. object — an aim
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ball — a great time
  17. object — a thing
  18. craft — boats
  19. spell — magic
  20. cap — a lid
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — of ice
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — a short time

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