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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. season — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. clip — a video
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mug — a face
  14. date — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — of the year
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rock — music

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