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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mate — a partner
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — of a king
  9. current — of water
  10. court — of law
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. current — happening now
  13. content — the amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fall — the season
  20. content — happy
  21. clip — for paper
  22. current — electric
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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