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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stock — goods
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stock — shares
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — child
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — a video
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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