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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ground — crushed
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. snap — to click

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