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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 124 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — a city
  4. clip — a video
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — to breed
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — all right
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. craft — boats
  18. spell — letters
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — money
  22. fine — high quality
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mate — a friend

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