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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rock — music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rock — a stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. clip — a video
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a dance
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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