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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a friend
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fine — high quality
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — for paper
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fine — all right
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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