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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rock — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — tied together
  20. clip — for paper
  21. net — for catching
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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