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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. clip — to cut
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. capital — a city
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitch — completely
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. capital — money
  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