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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — for paper
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mate — a partner
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mate — to breed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. can — to be able to
  24. leaves — to go away

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