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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. clip — a video
  22. rock — music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cue — for pool

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