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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. perch — the fish
  17. land — ground
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — all right
  24. fan — to cool the air

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