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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. land — a country
  7. stand — to bear
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fork — in a road
  13. land — ground
  14. pop — soda
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. suit — clothes
  21. clip — a video
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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