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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. clip — a video
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. can — a tin
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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